Author: Lisa Mungovan

Happy Scud Day! Scud stands for Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama. Relax and enjoy the funnier things in life! It’s also Math 2-point-o Day, celebrating the blend of math and technology. Play math games, or try Khan Academy online, just for fun! Finally, have some chocolate and almonds for Chocolate With Almonds Day!

A farmer in Nebraska, was doing some maintenance by draining a pond. He saw something stuck in the mud, and was shocked to discover it was an ATM! The bank machine was hauled away by the Sheriff’s office, who said it had been stolen recently. I wonder how much money was in it.

New songs go viral all the time. Thanks to the internet, the whole world can be humming the same tune. In an unusual twist, a song went viral among sparrows. A study found, that a new variation of the white-throated sparrow’s song, traveled 2000 miles across Canada. It took 20 years, because sparrows don’t have internet!

There’s an amphibian called a caecilian, who looks like a cross between a snake and a worm. Caecilians have been around for millions of years, but scientists just discovered, they have venom glands. If they’re found to have a venomous bite, it would make them the first venomous amphibians. Don’t worry. They live underground!

Today is Strawberry Sundae Day, and Macaroni Day, and best of all, Chocolate Day! That will make an interesting dinner. Since it’s Tell The Truth Day, don’t be offended if someone says your macaroni and chocolate-strawberry sundae tastes disgusting. Luckily, it’s also Global Forgiveness Day. Forgiving people feels better than staying mad forever.

When you drive by a field full of cows, do you moo at them? Today is Cow Appreciation Day. The main part of a cow’s 4-chambered stomach can hold 50 gallons of food. That’s about the same as a big bathtub! Did you know a cow can walk up stairs, but not down? That’s crazy!

Last week in Ireland, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution had to perform an unusual rescue. A horse on Murvagh Beach, ran into the water. After getting confused and disoriented, the horse swam a mile out to sea. The crew brought the horse back home, safe and sound after its refreshing dip in the ocean.

During the pandemic, a lot of people have discovered the joys of gardening. It’s not too late, to plant a summer vegetable garden from seeds. If you’re not patient enough to watch them sprout, buy small plants instead. You still get the fun of watching them grow, and picking a pile of peppers.

Astronomers are closely studying, a red dwarf star called Lacaille 9352. The star is 10.7 light years away, and appears to have at least 2 rocky, Earthlike planets. A possible 3rd planet is of great interest, because it could be in the habitable zone. That means it could hold liquid water, and possibly even life!

Trapdoor spiders are great at hiding. They hang out in underground burrows, and pop out of silk-hinged trapdoors to catch their prey. Perhaps that’s why scientists have only recently discovered, an entirely new genus of trapdoor spiders. The species of spiders that make doors that look like wafers, will now be classified as Cryptoforis.